by retuers — Carlos Ghosn met Lebanon’s president after his escape from Japan, where he was smuggled out of house arrest by a private security company, two sources close to Ghosn said on Wednesday (Jan 1). One of the sources said Ghosn was greeted warmly by President Michel Aoun on Monday after flying into Beirut via Istanbul. In his meeting at the presidency, Ghosn thanked Aoun for the support he had given him and his wife Carole while he was in detention, the sources said. He now needs the protection and security of his government after fleeing Japan, they added. A media advisor to the president’s office denied the two men had met. The sources said the Lebanese ambassador to Japan had visited him daily while he was in detention.

“PURE FICTION”

While some Lebanese media have floated a Houdini-like account of Ghosn being packed in a wooden container for musical instruments after a private concert in his home, his wife called the account pure fiction when contacted by Reuters. They said a private security firm oversaw the plan, which was three months in the making and involved shuttling Ghosn out via a private jet to Istanbul before pushing onward to Beirut, with even the pilot unaware of Ghosn’s presence on board. “It was a very professional operation from start to finish” said one of the sources. The other source said Ghosn was in good health. In a written statement, Ghosn said after his arrival that he had “escaped injustice and political persecution” and would begin communicating with media next week. Sources close to him said he was unwilling to share details of his escape so as not to jeopardise those who aided him in Japan. He is staying at the home of a relative of his wife, but plans to return soon to a gated villa in the upscale Beirut neighbourhood of Achrafieh, one of the sources said.

by bbc.com — Carlos Ghosn, the multi-millionaire former boss of Nissan, spent months preparing to stand trial on financial misconduct charges. At least, that was what the Japanese authorities were led to believe. He posted 1bn yen (£6.8m; $8.9m) in bail in April. He was monitored by a 24-hour camera installed outside his house. His use of technology was heavily restricted and he was banned from travelling abroad. Then, in a move that left Japan red-faced and his own legal team baffled, he appeared in Lebanon on New Year’s Eve. “I have escaped injustice and political persecution,” he declared in a statement. “We were completely caught by surprise. I am dumbfounded,” his lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, told a crowd of reporters in Tokyo shortly after learning of Mr Ghosn’s flight. “I want to ask him, ‘How could you do this to us?'”

Another pressing question is: how did he do it at all?

A musical escape?

One Lebanese TV channel – MTV – reported that Mr Ghosn had fled his court-approved residence in Tokyo with the assistance of a paramilitary group who were disguised amongst a band of musicians. It said the band had performed at his house and, shortly after they had finished, the 65-year-old hid himself in a large musical instrument case which was then hurried to a local airport. If this really happened, it may have been a tight squeeze even for Mr Ghosn, whose height is reported at 5ft 6in (167cm). According to the MTV story, he then flew to Turkey, before arriving in Lebanon on a private jet. The broadcaster provided no proof for this theory which, unsurprisingly, spread rapidly across social media. But donning a spy-movie disguise is not beyond Mr Ghosn. In March, in a bid to throw journalists off his scent, he left prison disguised as a construction worker. He was quickly identified, mocked in the media, and his lawyer soon apologised for the “amateur plan”.

The role of Carole Ghosn

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad said on Wednesday that all public consular operations were suspended, a day after Iran-backed militias and their supporters stormed its outer perimeter, setting fires, throwing rocks and smashing surveillance cameras. “Due to militia attacks at the U.S. Embassy compound, all public consular operations are suspended until further notice. All future appointments are canceled. U.S. citizens are advised to not approach the embassy,” it said in a statement.

by foxnews.com — The siege outside of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad came to an end Wednesday afternoon after dozens of pro-Iran militiamen and their supporters withdrew from the compound. The two-day crisis started early Tuesday, when, in an orchestrated assault, hundreds of protesters stormed the embassy compound, one of the most heavily fortified U.S. diplomatic missions in the world. The violent protests, which included smashed windows and sprayed graffiti on the embassy’s walls, were said to be in protest of the deadly U.S. airstrikes that targeted an Iran-backed militia over the weekend, killing 25 fighters. In turn, those strikes had been in response to a rocket attack on an Iraqi Army base that killed a U.S. contractor and injured several American troops. The protests prompted the Pentagon to send hundreds of additional troops to the Middle East. Officials said more than 650 paratroopers are already on their way to Kuwait, and roughly 4,000 more have been told to pack their bags for a possible deployment. The Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of state-allied militias — many backed by Iran — called on its supporters to withdraw in response to an appeal by the Iraqi government, saying “your message has been received.”

by famagusta-gazette.com —The Lebanese have been desperately trying to invest their bank deposits in real estate and gold to escape a possible haircut in the near future. Lebanon has witnessed in the past few months a shortage in U.S. dollar, caused by an economic slowdown and the drop in cash injections from the Lebanese abroad. Hence, banks have imposed restrictions on the withdrawals of depositors and the conversion of the Lebanese pound to the U.S. dollar, creating great panic among people about the future of their savings. “Demand for real estate has increased tremendously since the start of the dollar crisis,” Mazen Moharam, CEO of Moharam and Itani Developers, told Xinhua. But the luck in acquiring an apartment or any other real estate property depends, to a great extent, on developers’ need for money, Moharam said. “If developers are indebted to banks, they may accept checks … and deposit these checks in their accounts to settle their loans to banks,” he explained. However, developers not in need of money are not selling for fear of a possible haircut of their deposits, said Raja Makarem, chairman and founder of Ramco Real Estate Advisors. “In this case, developers prefer to keep their properties instead of depositing higher amounts of money in banks,” he added. Meanwhile, people in Lebanon have also been trying to invest in gold but jewellers say they refuse payments by credit card or check. “We have a great demand for gold but we cannot sell gold in return for virtual money such as checks or credit cards,” Yasser Younes, owner of a jewellery shop in Verdun, told Xinhua. “We only sell for cash,” he said. Two other jewellers, respectively in Hamra and ABC mall, also confirmed the cash-only payments in gold transactions, adding credit cards and check payments are only accepted for regular fashion jewellery items such as pendants.

by lebaneseexaminer.com —Tiffany Trump and her Lebanese boyfriend Michael Boulos celebrated New Year’s Eve at President Donald Trump’s New Year’s Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Tiffany Trump shined in a black and gray lace dress while walking the red carpet hand-in-hand with Boulos, who wore a black tuxedo and bow tie. President […]

BEIRUT ( Sputnik – 31st December, 2019) President of Lebanon Michel Aoun on Tuesday expressed hope that a new Lebanese government will be formed in the coming days. “We are doing everything to overcome the difficulties. But we need society’s support … I hope that a government will be formed in the coming days and […]

TOKYO—Nissan’s former Chairman Carlos Ghosn said on Tuesday he was in Lebanon and was not fleeing justice, but instead sought to avoid “injustice and political persecution” in a criminal trial in Japan for alleged financial misconduct. “I am now in Lebanon, and will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant and basic human rights are denied, in flagrant disregard of Japan’s legal obligations under international law and treaties it is bound to uphold,” the statement said. Japanese media quoted prosecutors speaking anonymously who said they did not know how Ghosn had left the country while under surveillance. BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Lebanese government does not know how Nissan ex-boss Carlos Ghosn made it from Japan, where he was due to be tried for financial misconduct, to Lebanon, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

A very weird rumor floating around is saying that Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman and CEO of the Renault-Nissan Alliance, escaped Japanese house arrest and fled to Lebanon this past weekend by reportedly hiding in a musical instrument case. Yesterday afternoon, The Washington Post and Financial Times both reported that Ghosn had left Japan and taken a private jet to Lebanon on Sunday, but it was initially unclear whether the accused businessman had arranged something with the conditions of his bail and house arrest with Japanese authorities, or if he had fled the country. We’re a bit skeptical of the piano case rumor as of right now, however, as we’re talking about Japan, a country with fairly strong passport controls, and it’s a wild coincidence that Ghosn escaped right before New Year’s Eve – a very convenient time to bury some less-than-desirable news.

BEIRUT (AP) Zena Karam — Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn, who is awaiting trial in Japan on charges of financial misconduct, has arrived in Beirut, a close friend said Monday. He apparently jumped bail. It was not clear how Ghosn, who is of Lebanese origins and holds French and Lebanese passports, left Japan where he was under surveillance and is expected to face trial in April 2020. Ricardo Karam, a television host and friend of Ghosn who interviewed him several times, told The Associated Press Ghosn arrived in Lebanon Monday morning.. “He is home,” Karam told the AP in a message. “It’s a big adventure.” Karam declined to elaborate. Local media first reported Ghosn arrived in Lebanon, but didn’t offer details. There was no immediate comment from Japan or from Lebanese officials.

Given the lack of an extradition agreement between Japan and Lebanon, the UN Convention against Corruption UNCAC is the sole course of action to trie Ghosn on Lebanese soil. Global anti-corruption treaty enacted in 2009, signed by 141 countries including Japan and Lebanon.”Article 44 and 22 of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) paves the way to return the accused to face trial in Lebanon if charges apply in both countries,”

Ghosn, 65, has been on bail in Tokyo since April and is facing charges of hiding income and financial misconduct. He has denied the charges. He had been under strict bail conditions in Japan after spending more than 120 days in detention. Lebanon-based paper Al-Joumhouriya said Ghosn arrived in Beirut from Turkey aboard a private jet. AP has not been able to confirm those details or how he was able to leave Tokyo. A house known to belong to Ghosn in a Beirut neighborhood had security guards outside with two lights on Monday night, but no sign otherwise of anyone inside. The guards denied he was inside, although one said he was in Lebanon without saying how he knew that. Ghosn was arrested last year in Japan and has been charged with under-reporting his compensation and other financial misconduct. He denies wrongdoing and was out on bail. His trial had not started.

Ghosn’s lawyers say the allegations are a result of trumped-up charges rooted in a conspiracy among Nissan, government officials and prosecutors to oust Ghosn to prevent a fuller merger with Nissan’s alliance partner, Renault SA of France. Ghosn, one of the auto industry’s biggest stars before his downfall, is credited with leading Nissan from near-bankruptcy to lucrative growth. Even as he fell from grace internationally, Ghosn was still treated as a hero in Lebanon, where many had long held hopes he would one day play a bigger role in politics, or help rescue its failing economy. Politicians across the board mobilized in his defense after his arrest in Japan, with some suggesting his detention may be part of a political or business-motivated conspiracy.

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by reuters — A Chinese court sentenced the scientist who created the world’s first “gene-edited” babies to three years in prison on Monday, according to the official Xinhua news agency, on charges of illegally practicing medicine. He Jiankui, then an associate professor at Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, said in November 2018 […]

by MAYA ALLERUZZO The Associated Press — BEIRUT — Dozens of Lebanese protesters held a brief sit-in inside a bank in Beirut and another in the country’s south on Saturday, part of their focus on banking policies they complain are inefficient and corrupt. Lebanon is facing its worst economic crisis in decades, while protests against corruption and mismanagement have gripped the country since October. The local currency has lost more than 40% of its value after more than 20 years of being tied to the dollar. Banks are imposing unprecedented capital controls to protect their deposits amid a deepening confidence crisis. Meanwhile, layoffs and salary cuts are becoming the norm, while politicians argue over forming a new government.

Dozens of protesters entered a private bank in the commercial Hamra district in Beirut, protesting capital controls and insisting that no one would leave without the money they came for. Banks have put a withdrawal ceiling of $200 a week on most accounts, while totally blocking outside transfers. “Thieves! Thieves!” two dozen protesters chanted, some sitting on counters and others on the floor. Bank staff watched and security guards did not interfere. The protesters later helped a woman with a cane get to the second floor, again shouting that she wouldn’t leave until she got the money she needs. The protesters posted videos of their actions on a Twitter account linked to the protest movement.

by naharnet – The Lebanese judiciary has launched an investigation into reports claiming that nine Lebanese politicians have transferred $2 billion abroad over the past 15 days, a media report said. The judicial probe got underway simultaneously with the investigations that are being carried out by the central bank, Asharq al-Awsat newspaper reported Sunday. “Intensive […]